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Why Partners Love Doulas for Birth Support

If your partner is thinking that there's really no point in having a doula because that's kind of taking over their job, or they don't think it's worth the financial investment, or they just literally have no idea what a doula does, they're not alone! This episode is going to walk you through our (my husband + me) journey to discovering what a doula was, why she might be beneficial, if she was actually worth the investment, and if we would hire one again. I hope you have your partners listen in to this episode because it's an honest take on what it's like for our partners to think through and plan for having someone in their intimate space with the woman they love, during labor and birth. 

Show Notes

5:29 - My husband give his thoughts on what he thought the job of a doula was and his perspective on what he thought his job would be if he had a doula.

8:30 - I explain the role of a doula and my personal experience with my doula during my pregnancy and labor of my third child.

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Birth Story: Triumph Over Adversity

This is another extra special episode because I am here with my sister. If you have been following along for a while you know I said I hoped to have her on the podcast one day and I’m really excited for all of you to listen in to her story. It is one of strength, courage, and resilience. She talks about her many obstacles and wins throughout her pregnancy, different ways in which she advocated for herself, and how at the end she was able to make an informed decision for herself and her baby. She is one of the most powerful women I have ever met, an incredible mother, and I can't wait for you to hear her pregnancy and birth story.

Show Notes

4:43 - Amanda shares a little about her struggle in becoming pregnant in the first place. She talks about her journey with multiple care providers and Endometriosis.

7:39 - I share an excellent resource for Endometriosis, as well as some information about what to look for, how you know if you have it, and differences between surgical...

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The Most Important Things for Pregnancy & Birth

I can't believe I get to be here with you for the 100th Episode of this podcast! With my many years of experience, professionally and personally, I thought this would be the perfect time to gather together the very most important things for pregnancy and birth. These are things, time and time again, that help mothers to have the births that they desire. These are things that will make the biggest difference in helping you achieve the birth of your dreams.

Show Notes

3:11 - If you guessed that the #1 thing you're going to need for your best birth is your provider, you guessed right! If you've been following along, you know I repeat this over and over and over. I go a little deeper about why this makes a difference for your pregnancy and birth.

8:18 - The other part of your birth support is your partner. Are they supportive and knowledgeable? What if they're not? Who should you have in your birth space?

10:23 - Partners are encouraged to encourage you within the birth course. It makes...

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Things Your Partner Doesn't Know or Doesn't Want to Know About Pregnancy, Birth, & Postpartum

 Our loving warning to you is to make sure you get pregnant before letting your partner listen to this adorable list! Ha! We must say we had a ton of fun recording this podcast and thinking through all of things our poor partners have to deal with. As moms, we mostly embrace all of the changes that happen to our body like our growing belly, lack of sleep and funny food cravings because, well, it's happening to us. We get excited even if it's not fun, knowing that it is all part of growing a baby. Partners though, they really kind of get taken by surprise with some of the changes and expectations in pregnancy, birth and postpartum so we thought it was fun to dive right in and cover those here. We hope you have a good laugh and learn along the way.

Show Notes

2:38 - As women, we get pretty excited about the changes that happen during pregnancy, but how do our partners feel about all of this?

3:28 - Get ready for the pregnancy list: room on the bed dwindling, lots of pillows,...

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Must-Haves for Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum

We asked, you told us, and then we made an entire episode quoting all of your incredible suggestions for what every mom should have during pregnancy, birth, & postpartum! We absolutely LOVE this birthing community that we get to be a part of. You are all so supportive, fun, and wise. We hope you enjoy this week's episode made BY you, FOR you!

Show Notes

3:50 - All the things you need for Pregnancy! These are the things YOU said were the very best to have for pregnancy.

7:01 - The "why" behind going to a chiropractor, because sometimes we need to know a little more.

20:44 - Must-Haves for Birth. These are the things that helped tons of our mamas during that actual birth.

28:56 - Postpartum Must-Haves

35:19 - Specifics for mom postpartum. 

37:00 - Specifics for baby postpartum. 

ALL our best,
Links mentioned in this episode:
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Announcing Your Pregnancy, Baby Gender, and Birth

 

If you're planning on announcing any of the milestones that come with expecting a baby, we're going to take you through the basics of the best times to announce each, different ways to do it, and how to handle any of the  "Karens" that may unintentionally ruin these special moments.

ANNOUNCING YOU'RE PREGNANT

When's the best time to tell the world you're pregnant?

Whenever you want to. :) Ok ok, we promise to give you more insight than that. Most women wait until sometime after the 10-week ultrasound. The typical range is 10-20 weeks.

From Cortney's perspective: "I preferred to tell my immediate family right away. Husband first, then our parents & my closest siblings. Our first two pregnancies were miscarriages and while some women choose to endure that trial privately, I was incredibly grateful for the prayers and support of those closest to us during that time. It's bad enough to have a miscarriage and to us, it would have been even worse to...

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The Illusion of No Control

 

Peace is a choice. We can choose to do those things that invite peace into our lives, even when so much around us seems out of control. And that's the topic that we want to introduce to you guys this week- what you can control in your pregnancy and birth. We fear that there's this illusion out there amongst birthing women, that there is no control.

In fact, what triggered this topic for us was coming across a birth story post on Instagram. This woman shared her rather traumatic birth story and concluded it by telling her followers that there's no point in having a birth plan or preparing for the experience because it's all out of your control. 

Maybe having that perspective was a coping strategy for her, a way to process a disappointing experience. Because when you don't believe you can control anything, perhaps you're able to maybe more easily release the experience you've had, especially if it wasn't a great one. BUT! women who head into pregnancy and birth...

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First Babies vs All the Others

 
Motherhood feels new and exciting with each baby you welcome into your family. There's always a bit of a learning curve as the family makes room for a new member. As we were reflecting on our own experiences (Steph has 3 kids & Cort has 4) we realized that many of the things we worried about (our bought- haha!) with our first baby were very different from what we did for baby #2, 3, 4, etc. How many of the things below can you relate to? 
 
1. We noticed we had (or wanted) SO many more gadgets with our first baby. Can you relate? Everything from a bottle warmer to a bottle drying rack, wipe warmers, the diaper Gene, and even those special baby towels and washcloths. 
 
We were joking that you may even own variations of the same product! Take the bassinet for example...there's a co-sleeper bassinet, a pack n play, a portable bassinet or Moses basket. So many options! BUT, what you come to realize with subsequent babies is that they...
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Sick of Being Pregnant?

 You often hear how morning sickness is rough, having your insides cramped due to lack of space is rough...but not many people talk about how challenging it can be to be patient in those last weeks of pregnancy. Especially if you go past your guess date. Sometimes you're just freakin' sick of being pregnant! 
 
Maybe it's because you're tired of getting up a million times at night to pee. Maybe it's because you can't get comfortable enough to get a good night's sleep. Maybe you are just super anxious to meet your baby! Maybe you desperately want to be able to eat a full meal or take a fuller breath.
 
Whatever the reason, we're here to guide you through how to be patient, how to make the most out of those last few weeks when you really just don't want to be pregnant anymore!
 
1. The first thing you've got to have is a clear understanding of due dates and how they work. If you don't understand how due dates work, you're inevitably going to be far more...
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Do THIS During Contractions

 
This is probably the #1 thing moms are curious about when that due date starts creeping closer and we are here to tell you that this episode will bring great relief for when you're face-to-face with those contractions! 
 
[2:54] You WILL feel contractions even if you plan to have an epidural.
[6:50] Knowing how you handle physical pain and emotional discomfort matters for how you will naturally find comfort and work through contractions.
[8:29] You do not have to be religious to connect to something spiritual during your birth experience.
[12:49] Hands-on support is wonderful, but it needs to be practiced and done right.
[15:57] "I've heard breathing like I'm panting is supposed to help me relaxed and stay focus. Is that true?" No. No, it's not.
[17:47] DOULA TIP!
[19:22] Sometimes distraction trumps visualization when it comes to working through contractions.
[25:11] Curious about more you can do to manage contractions during birth?
 
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